The NHL’s regular season is quickly moving to the point where the “fat lady” sings With teams advancing towards the final 10 games of their schedule, playoff spots are being claimed and the race is at its peak. This means that the power rankings are as tight as they have ever been. As always, a loss or win doesn’t necessarily mean that one team will be ranked higher than a team they beat or lost to. Without further ado, let’s roll out this week’s rankings.
The numbers in parentheses reference last week’s rankings and all stats are current as of 4/11.
No.32: Arizona Coyotes (-2)
Welcome back, Arizona. It just doesn’t feel right without you here. A three-game losing streak is just the latest in a long list of problems for this team. Next.
No.31: Chicago Blackhawks (-3)
It’s been quite some time since the Blackhawks were this far down in the rankings. On a two-game losing streak, they are 2-6-2 in their last 10 games. They’ve crashed and crashed fast.
No.30: Philadelphia Flyers (+2)
The Flyers move up essentially due to the poor play of the teams below them. That’s it. There are still multiple problems with this team, not to mention being 3-7 in their last 10 games.
No.29: Seattle Kraken (+2)
The Kraken move up two spots this week. Unlike the Flyers, they earned this based on merit. They have improved to 5-5 in their last 10 games, which is good for the Kraken. Their offensive problems have been well documented, as well as the struggles of Philipp Grubauer.
No.28: Ottawa Senators (-3)
Ottawa has fallen back to 28 this week. On a three-game losing streak, the Senators have fallen once again. However, there are bright sides with Joshua Norris getting some nice offensive contributions.
No.27: New Jersey Devils (+1)
The Devils move up this week for many of the same reasons as the Flyers: bad production from teams below them. They still have goaltending issues, but it’s been fun to watch Jesper Bratt this year.
No.26: Buffalo Sabres (-3)
A three-game losing streak seems to be a theme in the early going this week. The Sabres are no different. They are 3-4-3 in their last 10 games and are struggling in multiple facets. But Tage Thompson has been having quite the season with 58 points in 69 games.
No.25: Columbus Blue Jackets (-3)
The Blue Jackets fall three spots this week. They are 2-5-3 in their last 10 games and their goaltending is not living up to the hype. It doesn’t matter how high powered of an offense you have, which the Blue Jackets do when your goaltending can’t keep you ahead in any given game.
No.24: Anaheim Ducks (+2)
The Ducks are so lucky the Blue Jackets and Sabres are on the current run they are right now. All three of these teams have been horrible as of late, but Anaheim is a hair above these two teams. Their offense has fallen off a cliff and has taken the team’s playoff chances with it.
No.23: Detroit Red Wings (+4)
Another team that could be looped in with the last three is the Red Wings. They are 3-4-3 in their last 10 games, and they have allowed the most goals per game in the league averaging 3.82. When you’ve leapfrogged the Canadiens, that’s pretty bad.
No.22: Montreal Canadiens (+2)
Speaking of Montreal, they land at 22. The Canadiens have been a completely different team under Martin St. Louis and have improved in all aspects. While it is too little, too late at this point in time, that interim tag will be removed rather quickly.
No.21: San Jose Sharks (+0)
The Sharks stay at their spot from last week mostly due to the fact that the teams underneath them haven’t played well. But that doesn’t mean that they have necessarily played well either. They are currently on a two-game losing streak that has put them at 3-6-1 in their last 10 games and apparently has caused some friction between Logan Couture and Erik Karlsson based on a video clip of them getting into it during their loss to the Vancouver Canucks.
No.20: Winnipeg Jets (-1)
The Jets fall one spot this week to 20. The Jets have been an average team at 5-4-1 in their last 10, but with the power rankings this tight, they can’t be given any slack this week. Kyle Connor might be putting himself in contention as the best player on the team with 81 points in 69 games.
No.19: Nashville Predators (-4)
A big fall this week for Nashville. A very similar case to the Jets in terms of the more averageness of their last 10 games, also 5-4-1 in that time. They have been less than fantastic as of late in one of the more competitive divisions in the Central, at least near the top. But what a season Roman Josi is having, setting the franchise record for points in a season as a defenseman is ludicrous.
No.18: New York Islanders (-1)
The Islanders fall a spot this week to 18. They have been doing well as of late, but their offense still seems to be struggling, almost more so than it has earlier this season. Brock Nelson has had a roaring second half and now leads the team in scoring.
No.17: Dallas Stars (+1)
Yes, they’re finally free from 18. The Stars move up to 17. They have put together a good run as of late, going 6-3-1 in their last 10 games, and have firmly put themselves in the playoff hunt. Jake Oettinger has certainly also proven himself to be capable as the top goaltender of this team.
No.16: Vancouver Canucks (+4)
The Canucks move up to 16 this week. On a three-game winning streak, Vancouver is putting themselves into the conversation for a playoff spot. They have been dealing with quite a few ailments as of late, but the offense needs another contributor besides J.T. Miller for the Canucks to be taken seriously.
No.15: Tampa Bay Lightning (-3)
The story of the Lightning as of late has been inconsistent, and it has caused them to fall down the rankings and fall hard. They are 5-3-2 in their last 10 games and haven’t been able to find any consistency as of late when it comes to getting, and staying, in the win column.
No.14: Vegas Golden Knights (-1)
We are getting into the hard part of the rankings once again, and the Golden Knights are the first team to suffer for it. They are 7-3 in their last 10, but their offense seems to have suffered a little lull as of late.
No.13: Los Angeles Kings (-4)
The Kings have been slain as of late, which brings them a dramatic fall in this week’s rankings. They are on a three-game losing streak and are 4-4-2 in their last 10 games. Big yikes for the Kings and for all Kings fans. Not to mention after a dominant 10 minutes against the Minnesota Wild, you allow six straight goals for them to get the win. Ouch.
No.12: St. Louis Blues (+4)
From falling four spots to gaining four spots, the Blues move up to 12 this week. The Blues are tearing up the league offensively with three players with 65 points in Vladamir Tarasenko, Pavel Buchnevich, and Robert Thomas. Not to mention they are on a five-game winning streak.
No.11: Pittsburgh Penguins (-2)
Yikes, has this been a rough stretch for the Penguins. They are 3-6-1 in their last 10 and this trend seems to have happened quite a few times to the Penguins which has to be alarming. However, congratulations to Sidney Crosby on 1,400 career points.
No.10: Edmonton Oilers (+1)
The Oilers move up one spot this week, going up to 10. They have had a great run as of late, going 7-2-1 in their last 10 games. Their offensive prowess still revolves around the dynamic duo of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, but those are two lethal weapons.
No.9: Washington Capitals (+5)
The Capitals make a large jump this week, moving to ninth. They are currently on a three-game winning streak and their offensive woes appear to have been fixed at least for now. In the latest Ovi Watch, Alex Ovechkin is 26 goals away from tying Gordie Howe.
No.8: Carolina Hurricanes (+0)
The Hurricanes are once again in eigth this week. They haven’t found a whole lot of consistency it feels like as of late and their offense hasn’t been as elite as it had been earlier this season. Their defense is still incredible but they may want to make sure that their offense is in top shape for the playoffs.
No.7: Boston Bruins (-3)
This was a difficult decision, but out of the teams remaining, Boston made the most sense to go into seventh. Their defense and goaltending are still among the best in the league, but their offense has started to sputter quite a bit. Brad Marchand can’t be relied on to carry the entire team during the final stretch of the regular season.
No.6: Calgary Flames (+1)
The Flames are starting to get red hot once again, which puts them up to sixth in this week’s rankings. On a four-game winning streak, the offense has really started to click at the perfect time as the Flames continue to hold onto the top spot in the Pacific. Darryl Sutter may be the top candidate for the Jack Adams Trophy.
No.5: Minnesota Wild (-3)
The Wild fall to fifth this week. They are still on a remarkable run but their defense still has to be called into question. It is better as of late, but there still are plenty of questions surrounding it. But what a comeback victory they had Sunday against the Kings.
No.4: New York Rangers (+2)
The Rangers move up to fourth this week. They’re currently on a three-game winning streak and their defense is coming back around after a couple of small lapses. The Rangers are one of the most well-balanced teams in the league.
No.3: Toronto Maple Leafs (+2)
Auston Matthews. That’s all the justification needed for this movement. However, it helps they are on a two-game winning streak.
No.2: Colorado Avalanche (+1)
The Avs are back in second rolling in on a six-game winning streak. They could be well on their way to the President’s Trophy and a long playoff run as one of the deepest teams in the NHL.
No.1: Florida Panthers (+0)
No surprises here. The Panthers are on a seven-game winning streak at this point and are 9-1 in their last 10 games. They are on fire, and so is their offense especially now that Claude Giroux is settling in and getting comfortable in that system. Watch out NHL.
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